At St Mary’s CE Primary children can enjoy a school lunch provided by Stockton-on-Tees Borough Councils Catering department or bring a packed lunch from home.
School Meals are cooked daily on the premises and we operate a ‘wrist band pre-choice menu’. This means that children staying for school lunch must select their lunch choice from a given selection in advance. Each day the lunch menu will offer a range of foods including meat, vegetarian and cold options. Children will be allocated a coloured wrist band which they will present to the school lunch staff and will then be served their appropriate choice. There are also a selection of desserts for children to choose from each day. Please click on the links below to view the termly school menus.
At present the cost of school meals is £2.50 a day (£12.50 weekly) and all children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are entitled to a free school meal as part of the government’s Universal Infant Free School Meals scheme. Payment for school meals can be made by ParentPay and must be paid in advance. ParentPay.
School Menus
Provided by Stockton Borough Council. Menu choices can be found using the following link; https://www.stockton.gov.uk/school-meals/
Free School Meals
You can register your child for Free School Meals if you get any of these benefits:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- The Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit, provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual income (as assessed by HM Revenue & Customs) that does not exceed £16,190
- Working Tax Credit ‘run-on’ – the payment someone may receive for a further four weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
For parents who may be eligible Registering is really quick and easy –contact the school office 01642 581716 who will help you to register. There are many benefits of this for your child in addition to the free meal which may save you more than £350 a year).
Extra benefits includes an additional £1320 pupil premium funding allocated to the school which is used to support your child’s learning. If you don’t want your child to have the school meals they can continue their lunchtime routine as normal – as long as you qualify and are registered, the school still gets £1320 extra. No one will know you have registered and it will not affect any other benefits you are claiming.
PACKED LUNCHES
Parents may prefer their child to have a packed lunch. This should be in a rigid plastic container or lunch box carrier and must be clearly marked with your child’s name. We strongly request that packed lunches do not contain glass bottles, canned drinks, sweets, fizzy drinks, nuts or chocolate.
CHANGING LUNCH OPTIONS
If your child wishes to change from school lunch to packed lunch and vice versa, we require a terms’ notice in writing from you to the School Office. This is essential as the Cook orders provisions in advance and major changes to school lunch numbers can affect the kitchen staffing arrangements.
SNACKS DURING THE DAY
We encourage all children to drink plain water during the day. In addition, a piece of fruit is provided for all children in EYFS and KS1 daily. Children in KS2 are encouraged to bring into school their own healthy snack such as a piece fruit to eat at morning playtime.
